World’s Healthiest Pizza (WHP) is introducing the first delivery pizza in the U.S. fortified with the high-survivability probiotic, GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086). The probiotics will be incorporated into the Prebiotic Multi-Grain Crust, enhancing the positioning of the pizza as an easy way to promote digestive health.
While probiotics are commonly found in dairy products, adding them to delivery pizza is an entirely new application that World’s Healthiest Pizza and Ganeden Labs, the manufacture of GanedenBC30, are jointly spearheading. Jeff Leach, co-founder of WHP, explains, “The addition of probiotics to our Prebiotic Multi-Grain Crust™ will not effect taste and will enhance the nutritional profile of our great tasting immune boosting pizza. This is a big deal for our business and consistent with our mission to demonstrate that pizza can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”
The Ganeden Lab probiotic has been clinically proven to survive harsh manufacturing processes such a pizza ovens, as well as the acid and bile of the digestive system of humans. This stands in contrast to other traditional probiotics because it’s spore forming – meaning that inside the bacterial cell is a hardened structure, or spore, which is similar to a seed. This spore, or seed, protects the cell’s genetic material against manufacturing, shelf life and digestive transit. Other traditional probiotics are not able to form these protective spores, making them more vulnerable. Because of this unique composition, the probiotics are able to reach the intestines in greater numbers and begin to colonize better than many other current probiotic strains available.
An independent panel of scientists has found GanedenBC30 to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) in use as a food ingredient. In clinical studies, GanedenBC30 has been shown to aid digestion and improve immune function when used regularly. Companies such as Main Street Gourmet continue to provide evidence that GanedenBC30 can be successfully added to many probiotic foods and beverages.
The new probiotic pizza will be available by Sept 1, 2008 and be standard and part of the Prebiotic Multi-Grain Crust used for all pizzas and breadstixx. “For over a year, we’ve been researching the use of probiotics in our pizza and look forward to improving the health of each and every customer we serve. It just makes sense,” Leach says.
